Each day is divided into four workshop sessions, with plenty of time for meals, exploring, and rest. During the evenings, artist faculty present showcase performances/lectures about their work.

Participants have a core workshop session where they pursue their main interest, then explore different genres in their other three classes. During breaks, participants connect with nature and explore the trails, beaches, and historic monuments at Fort Worden State Park. Evenings are filled with performances, teambuilding activities, fun, and snacks! The week culminates in a student showcase where families can celebrate the creative growth of participants.

2023  Descriptions:

Comics and World-Building – Taylor Dow
How can collaborative world-building techniques from tabletop role-playing games help us make comics in community? This class focuses on building your narrative and collaborative art skills to create a host of memorable settings and characters in a living, thriving world. We start by drawing a massive, continuous map. As the week progresses, we create comics that add details to our world-map, zooming in on individual cities, habitats, legends, characters, and forbidden places.

Percussion: The Roots of Steel Pan – Angie Tabor
This course takes students through a fun, high-energy, hands-on musical journey tracing the roots of the steel pans in Trinidad & Tobago. Students explore the traditional music created by a determined youth culture, who, in spite of many obstacles, continued to find ways to make their music. We’ll learn rhythms and melodies as we practice a song together for the final day.

Spoken Word Poetry – Sara Brickman
Everyone already has everything they need to write a poem. We begin by writing poems that explore our personal experiences, and find our voices and the confidence to perform. We’ll look at different types of poems, and engage with theater and performance exercises to learn the skills to bring our writing to life through performance. We’ll study gestures, vocal tone, attitude, pacing, and connecting with an audience as we build towards our final sharing day.

Breakdance! – Robert Eyerman
Using music as inspiration, learn the foundation of breakdancing, or “breaking.” The four fundamental components – toprock, footwork, freezes, and power – moves are demonstrated and taught. With Robert teaching some new-found knowledge and skills, students learn to create dance routines. Everyone will have the opportunity to battle against and perform with one another by exploring the arts of cyphering, battling, and performing. Perfect for those with little-to-no dance experience who are dedicated, enthusiastic, and open-hearted about learning.

Music & Roots – Joe Seamons
Learn to hear and play instruments and songs that laid the foundation for American music as we know it! This class gives you experience playing music with others on an instrument of your choice – guitar, banjo, fiddle and mandolin, singing and percussion are all options for students, and beginners are welcome.

Tuition, plus room and board, per student: $600
Chaperones: free

Scholarships are available for those who are not able to otherwise attend. If the full tuition is a significant financial burden to you, please select the scholarship/work-trade registration type. Scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served; and as-needed basis. Apply online as you register.

For this program, students sign up in groups of 4 to 6 with an adult chaperone. Tuition plus room and board are free for chaperones, but each chaperone needs to be registered. Meals are served at Fort Worden Commons.

Don’t wait until the deadline to register – Explorations fills up quickly!

Parents & Guardians The safety and comfort of your children is our highest priority. Meals at Fort Worden State Park are served on campus at the Fort Worden Commons. Students are housed in historic fort buildings renovated as dormitories. What to Bring & What Not to Bring Cell phones and electronic devices are not allowed at Centrum Youth Programs. In case of emergency, Centrum's program manager and staff carry phones and will notify you as soon as possible. You may leave a message for your student at any time with Program Manager Alyssa de Leon (360) 385-3102 x120. You will receive contact information in an email prior to the start of the program.

Please bring these items:
• An extra blanket (it can be cold)
• Warm clothes (including a warm jacket)
• Rain gear
• Clothes you can get messy in (paint, etc.)
• Soap & shampoo
• Day Pack
• Water bottle or canteen
• Hat (such as a baseball cap)
• An alarm clock
• Flashlight
• Spiral notebook or journal
• Pens, pencils and erasers
• Clothes you can MOVE in for dance, theater, etc. (not jeans) OPTIONAL • Musical instruments • Camera
• Quarters and soap (To do laundry)
• Healthy snacks (Centrum provides three meals a day, as well as light evening and afternoon snacks. Students are welcome to bring additional snacks, however we strongly discourage sending students to Centrum with large amounts of sugary snacks).
• Linens are provided in the dormitory, including pillows, sheets, blankets and towels, but an extra blanket can come in handy.
• Bathing suit, if you are bashful. You may want to bring a suit for when you take a shower, although there are individual shower stalls for privacy.

Please go through this list carefully, and call if you have any questions. Providing extra care in helping your student prepare for the week will enhance their experience greatly. Thank you for your help! If you have any more questions about Strong Voices, please contact Alyssa de Leon at 360-385-3102, x120, or adeleon@centrum (dot) org

Find more answers - Centrum FAQs